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Aims Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) relieves pain by creating a relaxed and comfortable environment to reduce anxiety in children. Yet little is known about its effects on pain in children. This study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of AAT on pain in children. Methods Eight databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL Complete, Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM), Weipu Database (VIP), China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database (CNKI) and Wanfang Database were retrieved, and all randomized controlled trials or controlled clinical trial using AAT on children’s pain were recruited from inception to October 2019. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. RevMan 5.3 software was employed for meta-analysis. Results Seven published studies containing 4 RCTs and 3 CCTs were included for the systematic review. The results of meta-analysis showed that AAT could reduce children’s pain when compared with the control group [MD = −0.53, 95% CI (−0.77, −0.30), P Conclusion Current evidence shows that AAT can relieve pain in children to some extent. Considering the limited quality and quantity of the available studies, more high quality studies should be performed to verify the above conclusion.

Hintergrund: Tiergestützte Therapien finden in der Praxis und in Evidenzen immer mehr Anklang. Es gibt Hinweise darauf, dass Hunde, die bei therapeutischen Interventionen zum Einsatz kommen, deutliche Vorteile für die Therapie von Kindern mit Autismus haben können. Ergotherapie kann bei Personen mit Autismus einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur Selbstständigkeit und Alltagsbewältigung leisten. Da tiergestützte Ergotherapie mit Hunden bei Kindern mit Autismus erst wenig erforscht ist, ergeben sich Überlegungen, ob Hunde auch hier positive Auswirkungen haben können. Ziel: Das Ziel dieses Literaturreviews ist es, die Auswirkungen von Hunden, die an ergotherapeutischen Interventionen teilnehmen, auf Kinder mit Autismus zu untersuchen. Hierbei wird vertiefend die Sicht von Therapeut*innen und Eltern miteinbezogen. Methodik: Es wurde eine systematische Literaturrecherche in Datenbanken durchgeführt, drei qualitative, drei quantitative Studien und ein Review eingeschlossen. Die Publikationen wurden anschließend bewertet und die Ergebnisse miteinander verglichen. Ergebnisse: In den sieben eingeschlossenen Publikationen hat sich gezeigt, dass ergotherapeutische Interventionen bei Kindern mit Autismus in der Hunde beteiligt waren, vorteilhafte Effekte haben können. Die Studien berichteten über positive Ergebnisse in der Kommunikation, Interaktion, Erreichung der Therapieziele, Engagement und Einsatz in der Therapie, Motivation, Beziehung zwischen Therapeut*in und Kind, Selbstvertrauen und Selbstständigkeit der Kinder. Conclusio: Es gibt Hinweise, dass Hunde bei Interventionen in der Ergotherapie Vorteile auf Kinder mit Autismus haben können. Die Studien sind allerdings von methodischen Schwächen gekennzeichnet, die Ergebniswerte gering. Es bedarf weiterer qualitativer und quantitativer Forschung. Background: Animal-assisted therapies are becoming increasingly popular in practice and evidence. Evidence suggests that dogs used in therapeutic interventions may have significant benefits for children with autism. Occupational therapy can make a significant contribution to independence and coping with everyday life in individuals with autism. Animal-assisted occupational therapy with dogs in children with autism has hardly been researched. Consideration is being given to whether dogs can have positive effects here as well. Aim: The purpose of this literature review is to examine the effects of dogs participating in occupational therapy interventions on children with autism. The perspective of therapists and parents will be included. Methods: A systematic literature search in databases was conducted, including three qualitative, three quantitative studies and one review. These studies were appraised and the results were compared. Results: The seven included studies have shown that occupational therapy interventions with dogs for children with autism can have beneficial effects. The studies reported positive outcomes in communication, interaction, achievement of therapy goals, engagement and commitment in therapy, motivation, therapist-child relationship, self-confidence and independence of the children. Conclusion: There is evidence that dogs may have benefits on children with autism in occupational therapy interventions. However, as the studies are characterized by methodological weaknesses, further qualitative and quantitative research is needed.

Contains fulltext : 225794.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Social communication and self-esteem are often affected in adults with autism spectrum disorder. Implementation and evaluation of interventions targeting social skills are challenged due to specific characteristics of autism. Intensive, valid evaluation of social skills programs is needed. In this explorative multiple case study, we examined effects and working mechanisms of dog-assisted therapy on social communication and self-esteem, by analyzing detailed observations with Monte Carlo permutation tests (testing against 10,000 random samples) and using self- and other-reports in N=6 high-functioning adults with ASD. Results showed significant positive effects on secure body posture. There was an indication of improved self-esteem and more spontaneous touching of the dog, while no convincing increase was found for verbal initiatives. Cross-correlation analyses revealed that touching the therapy dog may be an important determinant to elicit social development in Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). Considering preliminary results, we recommend exploring underlying mechanisms more thoroughly with real-time observations, accounting for possible gender-effects.

Contains fulltext : 225520.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Effective treatments of highly prevalent stress-related outcomes such as depression and anxiety are understudied in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A randomized controlled trial with baseline, post-intervention, and 10-week follow-up, that explores the effects of animal assisted therapy (AAT) was conducted. In total, 53 adults with ASD with normal to high intelligence were randomized in an intervention (N = 27) versus waiting list control group (N = 26). The remarkable adherence to the therapy program by study participants and the program's clinically relevant effects indicate that AAT with dogs can be used to reduce perceived stress and symptoms of agoraphobia, and to improve social awareness and communication in adults with ASD with normal to high intelligence.

Safe human-dog relationships require understanding of dogs' signaling. As children are at particularly high risk of dog bites, we investigated longitudinally how children from 3 to 5 years and parents perceive and interpret dogs' distress signaling gestures. All participants were then taught how to link their perception of the dog with the correct interpretation of dogs' behavioral signals and tested again. Results show a significant increase in learning for children and adults, with them showing greater understanding of dogs' signaling after intervention. Better learning effects were found with increasing age and depended on the type of distress signaling of the dogs. Effects endured over time and it can be concluded that children and adults can be taught to interpret dogs' distress signaling more correctly. Awareness and recognition of dogs' stress signaling can be seen as an important first step in understanding the dog's perspective and are vital to enable safe interactions.

This Research Topic presents experiences with companion animals provided to children in varied settings. Methods include monitoring of the ongoing interaction of children with companion animals, or conducting interviews or surveys, as well as experimental interventions where changes occurring...

International audience; Our survey of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) offered by French intervention facilities aimed to examine and describe the range of AAI for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children. We invited 2,302 facilities to reply to an online questionnaire. The responses to our survey (n = 386) revealed that animals were used extensively as a complementary intervention. Most AAI sessions were in groups. Various animal species (especially horses and dogs) and facility staff members as well as external collaborators were involved. Numerous benefits (e.g., enhanced well-being, self-esteem, and socialization) were reported. Facilities face difficulties in connection with AAI including finances, staffing, and scheduling constraints. However, these problems do not affect staffs’ motivation. This is the first large-scale survey giving a qualitative and quantitative picture of AAI practices in an entire country.

Since companion animals are taking on more important roles in family life, the aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of parents about the relationship between their children and pets. A number of parents were asked to fill in a questionnaire; the principal topics were: pet ownership, pet care, relationship between pets and children, and sources of information about pet management. Eighty-two parents completed the survey; 71.4% of them already had pets before having children; pet care and health has emerged to be rather important, since 96.4% of the pets are taken to the veterinarian at least once a year; moreover, the great majority of the parents (97.2%) were not worried about the possible risks, linked to pets, pertaining to their child's health. The present survey confirms that pets are mostly considered as members of the family, and not only as a benefit for the children. Moreover, the relationship between children and pets is basically seen as a positive experience for children.

Literacy is a key factor in occupational success and social integration. However, an increasing number of children lack appropriate reading skills. There is growing evidence that dogs have positive effects on reading performance. We investigated the short-term effects of dogs on reading performance in 36 third-graders and monitored physiological parameters (heart rate, heart rate variability and salivary cortisol) as well as behavioral variables. Each child took part in two test sessions at the presence of a tutor, in one of which a dog and its handler were present. To assess reading performance two reading tests were used: two subtests of the standardized ELFE (“Ein Leseverstandnistest fur Erst- bis Sechstklassler”), where the children have to carry out time-limited reading tasks, to assess sentence and text comprehension, and Repeated Reading (RR), where the children have to read the same text twice, to assess reading speed and short-term improvement. Although the dog had no effect on reading performance scores, within the first test session the children improved from the first to the second run of RR when a dog was present but not without dog. The behavior of the children indicated a calming effect of the dog in the first test session with less nervous movements and the children being less talkative. We found no impact of the dog on heart rate and heart rate variability. However, the excitement about the dog in combination with the unknown situation in the first test session was reflected in a higher difference in the mean HR difference between the two test sessions for the children, who in the first test session had a dog present, compared to the children, who had the dog in the second test session. In the second test session the children were more aroused with a dog present than with no dog present, as indicated by the area under the curve increase (AUCi) of salivary cortisol values. We conclude that the presence of a dog had a minor short-term positive effect on the children’s motivation and reading performance. More substantial effects could probably be achieved with repeated sessions.

Attachment to pets has an important role in children's social, emotional, and cognitive development, mental health, well-being, and quality of life. This study examined associations between childhood attachment to pets and caring and friendship behaviour, compassion, and attitudes towards animals. This study also examined socio-demographic differences, particularly pet ownership and pet type. A self-report survey of over one thousand 7 to 12 year-olds in Scotland, UK, revealed that the majority of children are strongly attached to their pets, but attachment scores differ depending on pet type and child gender. Analysis revealed that attachment to pets is facilitated by compassion and caring and pet-directed friendship behaviours and that attachment to pets significantly predicts positive attitudes towards animals. The findings have implications for the promotion of prosocial and humane behaviour. Encouraging children to participate in pet care behaviour may promote attachment between children and their pet, which in turn may have a range of positive outcomes for both children (such as reduced aggression, better well-being, and quality of life) and pets (such as humane treatment). This study enhances our understanding of childhood pet attachment and has implications for humane education and promoting secure emotional attachments in childhood.

There is growing scientific and societal recognition of the role that pet dogs can play in healthy development of children; both those who are neuro-typically developing and those who live with a neuro-developmental disorder, such as autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, little attention has been paid to how living with children positively and negatively affects quality of life of a pet dog. In this exploratory study we conducted semi-structured interviews with parents of neuro-typically developing children (n = 18) and those with a neuro-developmental disorder (n = 18) who owned a pet dog, until no new factors were identified. Living with children brought potentially positive benefits to the dog’s life including: imposition of a routine, participation in recreational activities and the development of a strong bond between the child and the dog. The importance of maintaining a routine was particularly prevalent in families with children with neuro-developmental disorders. Potential negative factors included having to cope with child meltdowns and tantrums, over stimulation from child visitors, harsh contact and rough and tumble play with the child. The regularity and intensity of meltdowns and tantrums was particularly evident in responses from parents with children with a neuro-developmental disorder. However, child visitors and rough play and contact were mentioned similarly across the groups. Protective factors included having a safe haven for the dog to escape to, parent’s awareness of stress signs and child education in dog-interaction. Parents were also asked to complete a stress response scale to provide an initial quantitative comparison of stress responses between dogs living with the two family-types. Parents with neuro-typically developing children more frequently observed their dog rapidly running away from a situation and less frequently observed their dog widening their eyes, than parents with children with a neuro-developmental disorder. We propose the development of a stress audit based on the findings reported here, to prevent potential dangerous situations, which may lead to dog bites and dog relinquishment and allow owners to maximise the benefits of dog ownership.

Many Japanese elementary schools keep small animals for educational purposes, and the effects and challenges have been investigated. Although goats are medium-sized animals that are familiar to Japanese, few practical studies have been conducted on keeping goats in schools. This study investigated the effects and challenges of keeping goats in elementary schools and discussed its educational possibilities. A semi-structured interview survey was conducted with 11 personnel that were responsible for keeping goats in six elementary schools in urban areas. They described benefits, problems, and tips related to keeping goats. Participant observation was also conducted on daily human-goat interactions in these schools. The results indicated that children in all six grades were able to care for goats. Goats were used for various school subjects and activities. As a result of keeping goats, children developed affection for them, attitude of respect for living things, greater sense of responsibility, and enhanced interpersonal interactional skills. Stronger ties between the schools and parents and community were developed through cooperation in goat-keeping. Some anxieties existed about the risk of injury to children when interacting with goats. Other challenges included the burden of taking care of the goats on holidays and insufficient knowledge about treatment in case of their illness or injury. The results suggested similarities to the benefits and challenges associated with keeping small animals in elementary schools, although the responsibility and the burden on the schools were greater for keeping goats than small animals because of their larger size and the need for children to consider the goats’ inner state and to cooperate with others when providing care. At the same time, goats greatly stimulated interest, cooperation, and empathy in children. Goats can expand educational opportunities and bring about many positive effects on child development.

This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This author accepted manuscript is made available following 24 month embargo from date of publication (November 2016) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policy, Separation from animals with whom children have caring relationships can lead to considerable loss and grief, perhaps especially in the case of migration. This article reports on a thematic analysis of interviews undertaken with children of migrant or refugee backgrounds who had resettled in Australia. Findings suggest that children who spoke about animals framed their experiences in ways that either evoked a sense of loss with regard to animals or referred to animals as engendering a safe haven following resettlement. The article concludes by exploring potential service responses and encourages a focus on animals' needs in the context of migration., The project reported in this article was funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Project, DP110100732. Funding for the write up of this article was provided as part of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, FT130100087.

Farms are enjoying an increasing popularity as a short-break service for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). The characteristics required on such care farms are currently unknown. To identify these characteristics, farmers of seven Dutch care farms with livestock were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. These farmers play a key role in care by offering structure, clarity and attention to ASD-children. They use a variety of farm animals with the children, as icebreakers, co-therapists or transitional objects. Our main conclusion is that for children with ASDs, visiting care farms forms an important addition to the current short-break opportunities. At the same time, the farmers expressed needs related to the quality of care, which could be improved by offering them special training.

Scientific literature exploring the value of assistance dogs to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rapidly emerging. However, there is comparably less literature reporting the effects of pet (as opposed to assistance) dogs to these children. In particular, there are no known validated scales which assess how children may alter their behaviours in the presence of the dog, to evaluate the efficacy of pet dogs to these families. Additionally, given the highly individualised nature of ASD it is likely that some children and families gain more benefits from dog ownership than others, yet no research has reported the effect of individual differences. This pilot study reports the development of a 28-item scale based on the perceived impact of a pet dog on a child with autism by parents (Lincoln Autism Pet Dog Impact Scale--LAPDIS). The scale is comprised of three mathematically derived factors: Adaptability, Social Skills and Conflict Management. We assessed how individual differences (aspects) may be associated with scores on these three factors. Family Aspects and Dog Aspects were not significantly associated with ratings on the three factors, but Child Aspects (including: contact with horses, child age, disability level and language abilities) were related to impact of the dog on all factors. Training Aspects were related to scores on Social Skills (formal training with children with ASD and dogs and attendance at PAWS workshops run by Dogs for Good). These results suggest that individual differences associated with the child and the training approach may be important considerations for a positive impact from dog ownership on families with children with ASD. Differences in family features and the dog may not be so important, but may be worthy of further investigations given the early stage of development in this field.

En aquest treball es mostra la recerca duta a terme per detectar els efectes d'una activitat assistida amb animals (AAA) dirigida a infants i adolescents tutelats per l'administració. Aquesta AAA es duu a terme a la Protectora d'Animals de Mataró (SPAM) mitjançant el Projecte Vincles i la Fundació Daina, i té la peculiaritat de buscar el benefici també en l'animal que hi participa. L'objectiu principal de la recerca és detectar quina millora es dóna en els participants humans en autoestima, expressió de sentiments, empatia, responsabilitat, comunicació i relacions; i en els canins en socialització i qualitat de vida. This paper shows the research work carried out to detect the effects of animal assisted activities (AAA) aimed at children and adolescent with government guardianship. This (AAA) is performed by the Protectora d'Animals de Mataró (SPAM) through the Projecte Vincles and Fundació Daina, and has the peculiarity to achieve the benefit also in the animal involved. The main objective of the research is to identify the improvements in humans participants in self-esteem, expression of feelings, empathy, responsibility, communication, and relationships; in canine participants: socialization and in quality of life. En este trabajo se muestra la investigación llevada a cabo para detectar los efectos de una actividad asistida con animales (AAA) dirigida a niños y adolescentes tutelados por la administración. Esta AAA se lleva a cabo en la Protectora d'Animals de Mataró (SPAM) mediante el Projecte Vincles y la Fundació Daina, y tiene la peculiaridad de buscar el beneficio también en el animal que participa. El objetivo principal de la investigación es detectar qué mejora se da en los participantes humanos en autoestima, expresión de sentimientos, empatía, responsabilidad, comunicación y relaciones; y en los caninos en socialización y calidad de vida.

Annually approximately 400,000 American children receive treatment for dog bites. Young children are at greatest risk and are frequently bitten following behavior that provokes familiar dogs. This study investigated the effects of child temperament on children’s interaction with dogs. Eighty-eight children aged 3.5–6 years interacted with a live dog. Dog and child behaviors were assessed through observational coding. Four child temperament constructs—impulsivity, inhibitory control, approach and shyness—were assessed via the parent-report Children’s Behavioral Questionnaire. Less shy children took greater risks with the dog, even after controlling for child and dog characteristics. No other temperament traits were associated with risk-taking with the dog. Based on these results, children’s behavior with unfamiliar dogs may parallel behavior with other novel or uncertain situations. Implications for dog bite intervention programs include targeting at-risk children and merging child- and parent-oriented interventions with existing programs geared toward the physical environment and the dog.

While there is increasing interest in the impact of animal interactions upon children’s wellbeing and attitudes, there has been less attention paid to the specific characteristics of the animals which attract and engage children. We used a within-subjects design to explore how differences in animal features (such as their animacy, size, and texture) impacted upon pre-school children’s social and emotional responses. This study examined pre-schoolers’ interactions with two animal-like robots (Teksta and Scoozie), two insect types (stick insects and hissing cockroaches) and a dog (Teasel, a West Highland Terrier). Nineteen preschool participants aged 35-57 months were videoed while interacting with the experimenter, a peer and each stimulus (presented individually). We used both verbal and nonverbal behaviours to evaluate interactions and emotional responses to the stimuli and found that these two measures could be incongruent, highlighting the need for systematic approaches to evaluating children’s interactions with animals. We categorised the content of children’s dialogues in relation to psychological and biological attributes of each stimulus and their distinctions between living and non-living stimuli; the majority of comments were biological, with psychological terms largely reserved for the dog and mammal-like robot only. Comments relating to living qualities revealed ambiguity towards attributes that denote differences between living and non-living creatures. We used a range of nonverbal measures, including willingness to approach and touch stimuli, rates of self-touching, facial expressions of emotion, and touch to others. Insects (hissing cockroaches and stick insects) received the most negative verbal and nonverbal responses. The mammal-like robot (rounded, fluffy body shape, large eyes, and sympathetic sounds) was viewed much more positively than its metallic counterpart, as was the real dog. We propose that these interactions provide information on how children perceive animals and a platform for the examination of human socio-emotional and cognitive development more generally. The children engaged in social referencing to the adult experimenter rather than familiar peers when uncertain about the stimuli presented, suggesting that caregivers have a primary role in shaping children’s responses to animals.

The objective of this study was to propose an intervention and safety protocol for performing animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and evaluating its efficacy in children under outpatient oncological treatment based on psychological, physiological, and quality of life indicators for the children and caregivers. The sample consisted of 24 children diagnosed with leukaemia and solid tumours (58% girls with a mean age of 8.0 years) who underwent an AAT programme consisting of three 30-min sessions in an open group. Two dogs (one Labrador retriever and one golden retriever) were used, and activities such as sensory stimulation, gait training, and socialization were conducted. The exclusion criteria were severe mental problems, inability to answer the questions included in the instruments used, allergy to animals, unavailability/lack of interest, isolation precaution, surgical wound, use of invasive devices, ostomy, no current blood count for evaluation, neutropaenia, infection, fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, respiratory symptoms at the beginning of the intervention or 1 week before the intervention, hospitalization or scheduled surgery, and non-completion of the AAT programme. The variables analysed using validated self or other evaluations were stress, pain, mood, anxiety, depression, quality of life, heart rate, and blood pressure. A quasi-experimental study design was used. We observed a decrease in pain (p = 0.046, d = -0.894), irritation (p = 0.041, d = -0.917), and stress (p = 0.005; d = -1.404) and a tendency towards improvement of depressive symptoms (p = 0.069; d = -0.801). Among the caregivers, an improvement was observed in anxiety (p = 0.007, d = -1.312), mental confusion (p = 0.006, d = -1.350), and tension (p = 0.006, d = -1.361). Therefore, the selection criteria and care protocols used for the AAT programme in the oncological context were adequate, and the programme was effective.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate dog-assisted therapies and activities in the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy and physical and mental disabilities who have difficulties in benefiting from well-being and health-improving services. This descriptive-explanatory study was conducted in disabled children of various ages between 2008 and 2011 by an experienced team in a private training and rehabilitation center in Antalya (Turkey). In this study, five study groups were formed among the children with physical and mental disabilities. During the therapy studies, three dogs were used. For each therapy group, the goals for the children and therapist were defined, and the activities were determined according to these goals. The entire study process was followed using audio-records and photographs of patients. The expected targets were reached in all study groups. The children who experienced fear, anxiety and difficulties due to their disabilities in daily life learned to cope with their anxieties and fears, set goals and make plans to achieve their aims. During this study, the children improved their abilities to use their bodies according to their capabilities. Accordingly, they improved their ability to develop empathy between themselves and a therapy dog, to receive and present help, and to communicate. The results of the present study revealed that dog-assisted therapies and activities can be a supportive method for routine treatment procedures in the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy and physical and mental disabilities.

Background: Owning a pet dog could potentially improve child health through encouraging participation in physical activity, through dog walking. However, evidence to support this is limited and conflicting. In particular, little is known about children’s participation in dog walking and factors that may be associated with this. The objective of this study was to describe the participation of children in dog walking, including their own and those belonging to somebody else, and investigate factors associated with regular walking with their own pet dog. Methods: Primary school children (n=1021, 9–10 years) from a deprived area of Liverpool were surveyed during a ‘fitness fun day’ as part of the SportsLinx project. The ‘Child Lifestyle and Pets’ survey included questions about pet ownership, pet attachment, and dog walking. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate factors associated with walking any dog, or their own dog, several times a day or more, including level of attachment to the dog, dog type, and sociodemographic factors. Results: Overall, 15.4% of children reported walking with any dog (their own or belonging to a friend or family member) ≥ once daily, 14.1% several times a week, 27.6% ≤ once a week, and 42.8% never. Dog owning children (37.1% of the population) more often reported dog walking ‘several times a week or more’ (OR=12.30, 95% CI=8.10-18.69, P

This dissertation serves as a report on the qualitative exploration of best practices in animal-assisted therapy (AAT) with children. The aim of the study was to explore and describe best practices in the field of AAT with children in the Western Cape. The research made use of the case study design, which offered the researcher the opportunity to interact with a small number of individuals and look for patterns in the research participants’ words and experiences. Four participants, who were trained mental health professionals and had offered AAT to children, were selected to participate in the research. A literature review of animal-assisted therapy and best practice provided a theoretical basis for the research. The history of AAT, the uses and benefits of AAT and the animals incorporated in AAT were explored. The term “best practice” and its application in mental health and AAT were also discussed. The verbatim transcriptions of the audiotaped data were analysed and interpreted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and an AAT conceptual framework (brought about by the literature review). Themes were developed from the empirical data and substantiated by the literature review. Five main themes emerged as a result of the analysis. The first theme, Training of the animal-assisted therapist, focused on both the mental health training and the AAT training of the therapist. The second theme, Training of animals incorporated in animal-assisted therapy, revealed the importance of training the animal to be included in AAT. The third theme, Different client populations in animal-assisted therapy, looked at which populations should be included, excluded or included and carefully managed during AAT. The fourth theme, Ethical considerations in animal-assisted therapy, revealed the importance of considering both the child’s and the animal’s welfare. The fifth theme, Regulation of animal-assisted therapy, gave a more in-depth description of the current regulation of AAT in the Western Cape and provided suggestions for the regulation of AAT. Based on the findings of the five themes, recommendations were made for best practice in AAT with children in the Western Cape. Thesis (MA (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This paper presents a study on measuring (1) how children experience a pet robot, (2) how they play with it and (3) how children’s perceptions on and interaction with pet robots are interrelated. The study features different types of subjective and objective techniques to assess the degree of perceived social entity from self-reports (i.e. questionnaires) and observed behavior. Three short questionnaires and an ad hoc code scheme of 15 low-level micro-behaviors were developed. 28 scholars aged 8 to 12 were observed at school during a play period with a Pleo robot and asked to answer the questionnaires. We found that the different questionnaire based methods were in line each other. Therefore, anyone of them can be used to measure the experience of a social entity. Play analyses showed that the two most prevalent behaviors were clearly social: petting the robot and showing it objects to engage in interaction. Moreover, children spent on average less than one per cent of the session time treating the robot as an artifact. However, significant covariation between the experience of a social entity and observed behavior could not be established.

Up to 90% of children with special education needs and about 40% of children in the general population show insecure or disorganized attachment patterns, which are linked to a diminished ability to use social support by others for the regulation of stress. The aim of the study was to investigate if children with insecure-avoidant/disorganized attachment can profit more from social support by a dog compared to a friendly human during a stressful task. We investigated 47 male children (age 7-11) with insecure-avoidant or disorganized attachment. Social stress was elicited via the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C). For one group of children a friendly therapy-dog (n = 24) was present, for one control group a friendly human (n = 10) and for the other control group a toy dog (n = 13). Stress levels of the children were measured via salivary cortisol at five times (t1-t5) before, during, and after the TSST-C and subjective reports. The physiological stress response was significantly lower in the dog condition in comparison to the two other support conditions at t4, t5 and the overall stress reaction from t1 to t5 (Area Under the Curve increase; Kruskal-Wallis H-Test, pairwise post hoc comparisons via Mann-Whitney U-Tests). Cortisol levels correlated negatively (r(s)) with the amount of physical contact between the child and dog. We conclude that male children with insecure-avoidant or disorganized attachment profit more from the presence of a therapy-dog than of a friendly human under social stress. Our findings support the assumption that the increasing practice of animal-assisted education is reasonable and that dogs can be helpful assistants in education/special education, since stress interferes with learning and performance in students.

Mechanical "unidentified moving objects" (UMO's) are useful for controlled investigations into features of social interaction that generate cooperativeness and positive social affiliation in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). We hypothesized that, if a UMO interacted socially with a dog, the UMO would become associated with certain social cues and would subsequently affect dog behaviour. We assigned dogs to a Human, Social UMO or Non-Social UMO partner. In the Human and Social UMO conditions, the partner interacted with the dog cooperatively whereas the Non-Social UMO partner was unresponsive to the dog's actions. We then tested dogs with their partner in a Piagetian A-not-B error paradigm, predicting that the Human and Social UMO partners would be more likely to elicit A-not-B errors in dogs than the Non-Social UMO partner. Five trials were conducted in which the dog watched its partner hide a ball behind one of two screens (A or B). As predicted, dogs in the Human and Social UMO conditions were more likely to search for the ball behind the A screen during B trials than dogs in the Non-Social UMO condition. These results reveal that the unfamiliar partner's social responsiveness leads rapidly to accepting information communicated by the partner. This study has generated a better understanding of crucial features of agents that promote dog social behaviour, which will facilitate the programming of robots for various cooperative tasks.

Hippoterapi är en sjukgymnastisk behandlingsform där man använder hästen som ett hjälpmedel i behandlingen. Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie är att undersöka upplevelserna av hippoterapi som behandling för funktionshindrade barn i Indien. Studien grundas på intervjuer av fyra barn och tre lärare. Intervjuerna genomfördes med tolk på tamil och engelska. Barnen intervjuades med fokus på deras egna upplevelser av hippoterapin och lärarintervjuerna fokuserade på huruvida de upplevt några förändringar hos barnen sedan de började med hippoterapi. Två intervjuguider med öppna frågor användes vid intervjuerna som spelades in, transkriberades och analyserades med hjälp av innehållsanalys. Resultatet visar att barnen hade en positiv upplevelse av hippoterapin och belyste flera fysiska förbättringar. Lärarna upplevde förbättringar gällande barnens motoriska förmåga, språkliga utveckling och inlärningsförmåga. Konklusionen, baserad på överenstämmelser mellan barnens och lärarnas upplevelser, är att hippoterapi är en positiv behandlingsform för dessa barn med avseende på såväl fysiska som psykiska aspekter. Hippotherapy is a form of physiotherapy where the horse is used as a part of the treatment. The aim with this qualitative study is to investigate Indian disabled children's experiences of hippotherapy. The study is based on interviews with four children and three teachers. The interviews were conducted with an interpreter in English and Tamil. The children’s interviews were focused on their personal experiences, and the teachers’ interviews focused on their observations of the children. Two guides based on open questions were formed for the interviews witch were recorded, transcribed and analyzed. The results show that the children were positive regarding the hippotherapy and had experienced physical improvement. The teachers experienced that the children had improved regarding motor skills, speech and learning ability. The conclusion based on agreement between children and teachers, is that hippotherapy is a positive form of therapy for these children in both physical and psychological aspects.

There is a widespread belief that interaction with an animal is beneficial for the development of children, and several studies (most with methodological shortcomings) have investigated the influence of (companion) animals on the social-emotional and cognitive development of children. In this article, the 1984 model of Professor Jay Belsky has been used to describe which variables influence the development of children and how the companion animal-child interaction influences these variables. The value of the AAA/AAT (Animal Assisted Activities/Animal Assisted Therapy) programmes in children with a wide variety of clinical and social problems, such as behaviour problems and autistic spectrum symptoms, is discussed. The findings suggest that (companion) animals positively influence children's development and have a valuable role in therapy.